Child Counseling Services I Offer
It is never easy for a parent when a child is hurting. A parent can find it difficult to say their child needs help and there is nothing the parent can do. It can cause any number of negative feelings for both the parent and the child. To admit your child may need ‘professional help’ can be a frightening thought for a parent. But if therapy can be good for adults, why can’t children’s therapy be helpful for a child?
Children, like adults, need someone to listen to them. They do not always have the right words or even know the words to use. They need a sympathetic ear to listen to their problems and help them find solutions to problems that to us seem small, but to them are huge and frightening.
I will work with you AND your child to help you both get back to being a happy family.
Services I Offer for Child Therapy
Children’s Therapy
Everyone needs someone to talk to who will not judge them and will give them positive feedback and encouragement. Why should children be any different? The main difference is delivering the therapy in a way the child will understand and from someone they feel will not judge them.
Children’s therapy can:
- give the child coping skills
- teach them to express themselves in positive ways
- increase self confidence and self-esteem
- help the child see a happy future
- show them how to make difficult decisions
- give the child a voice
Put yourself in your child’s place; wouldn’t you want help if you could get it?
Change a Behavior
Kids acting out are not always ‘kids just being kids’. Sometimes there is something behind their actions, stemming from a negative behavior. Too many times we are wanting to deny the fact the child may have an issue they cannot deal with by calling it ‘normal kid behavior’. When we listen to what are kids are really saying, they will tell us when something is wrong. Listen to your child.
Behaviors that may show an unspoken problem:
- anger and lashing out
- unwarranted fear
- bed-wetting or incontinence
- constant crying
- isolation
- drop in grades
- drastic change in attitude
- nightmares
- the ‘silent treatment’
- suicidal thoughts or actions
Don’t ignore these warning signs. Your child will tell you when something is not right; be ready to listen and willing to get them help.
Loss
The death of a loved one or family member can be very traumatic for a child. They may not understand what happened to the family member or where the loved one has gone to. Together we can help them understand and work through their feelings of fear, anger, and sadness.
Family Issues
When a family goes through changes a child may feel lost, confused, and even unwanted. Sometimes they need someone to explain things to them and let them vent and express their feelings without fear of repercussion. They want a solution to their confusion as much as you want them to have one. We can help both of you to get through difficult situations that arise as families grow together and grow apart.
Family issues a child might have trouble with:
- marriage
- divorce or separation
- integration of families from remarriage
- grandparents or other family moving in
- relocation
Bullying
A child may not always tell their parents when they are being picked on or bullied at school or elsewhere. They want their parents to be proud of them. And like adults, they do not always want to burden their family with a problem they feel should not exist. But bullying is rampant today, in person, on social media, even in video games. But a child may not want to divulge they are being picked on or harassed. If they are we can help find solutions for your child and ways to keep the bullies at bay.